


Everything and Nothing

by Lhugy_for_short



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone lives version, Falling In Love, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Post-Game, mentions of illness, side Ignoct
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22585834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lhugy_for_short/pseuds/Lhugy_for_short
Summary: Two years after the Dawn, the kingdom of Lucis is well on its way to being rebuilt. Yet even on the path to such a prosperous future, some heroes are still making sacrifices for the greater good.At the end of the day, perhaps the only place they can find solace in is each other.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Everything and Nothing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Teapots_and_Teacups](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teapots_and_Teacups/gifts).



> For the ever-lovely Teapot, who is an amazing friend, an awesome artist, and a huge supporter of my love for Promptio :) Her request was for "beach/swimming" which started out as a holiday at Cape Caem, and then turned into.... well. Feels. And plot, I guess. But it's still Promptio, and it gave me a chance to explore a new side of their relationship! So honestly, thank you for inspiring this, even if it wasn't exactly what you were hoping for ^^;; 
> 
> Feedback welcome in the comments!  
> Thank you for stopping by :)

Days off were a rare luxury for those in the service of a king. Work had to come first, that was just the way it went. And usually, Prompto didn't mind the busy schedule. He was proud, after all, to be part of Insomnia's rebuilding, its new future in the wake of the Dawn and King Noctis’ return. Even if that meant he’d had to give up most weekends for the past year.

But everyone, kings and their retainers included, needed to make time for the little things once in a while. So when Noct announced he wanted to celebrate his thirty-second birthday with a trip to the Cape, Prompto could barely contain his excitement. At last! They were getting a  _ real  _ vacation!

The four friends all arrived that afternoon in their own way. Ignis drove Noct's new sports car (it was no Regalia, but the sleek style suited them both), while Prompto hitched a ride from the city in Talcott's truck. Gladio, coming from somewhere out past Meldacio, was the last to arrive. No one could have missed him as he pulled up in front of the Caem cottage on the back of a sleek, rumbling (and very new) motorcycle.

Prompto took one look at the bike – and at the dark, studded leather jacket Gladio wore to match - and let out a low whistle. “Wow. Looks like someone's having a midlife crisis.”

Releasing his hair (longer now than Prompto remembered) from under his helmet, Gladio shot him a flat glare. “I'm thirty-five, bird brain, not dying. Where's the birthday princess?”

“He went up to the lighthouse with Iggy to get some firewood.” Prompto bounded down the steps of the porch two at a time, ignoring the way the old wood groaned under his feet. “So.... Can I touch it?” he smiled.

“Sure. Go to town. But get any scratches on her and I'll make you spend the night polishing the whole thing.” The threat was followed by a laugh, and a heavy arm landing around his shoulders. Gladio yanked him into a hug that Prompto couldn't have resisted even if he wanted to. 

Smiling, he melted against him. It was good to see Gladio again.  _ Really  _ good. These days, the Shield spent most of his time traveling Lucis, recruiting hunters who'd fought for the crown during the Eternal Night. He only made it back to Insomnia every few months if he was lucky. He'd missed his father's memorial service that year, and even the last couple of Solstices with Iris. 

Clearly, all of them were still making sacrifices for the sake of the kingdom.

Now, cheek pressed to the solid frame of that broad chest, Prompto nearly forgot about the motorcycle and the beach vacation that awaited them altogether. At least, until Gladio's helmet was suddenly dumped onto his head, and a swat to the backside had him whirling back to the present. “H-hey! Watch the hair!” he yelped, strangled voice – and flaring cheeks – graciously masked by the visor.

“Bring in the beers from under the seat when you're done, would ya? Thanks, Prom.”

_ Well, I guess  _ some _ things never change _ , he thought to himself, peeking out from under the helmet in time to watch Gladio stride up to the house. And he smiled.  _ Yeah _ , this was going to be an awesome weekend.

He was still standing there when Noct and Iggy got back from up the hill. Together, they carried in the firewood, the beers, and some bottles of wine stashed in the trunk of the car. Between the drinks and the brunch Ignis had whipped up (vegetable-free, it  _ was _ the king’s birthday, after all), it wasn't long before the four of them were swept up in memories, nostalgia, and a friendly card game.

Well,  _ mostly _ friendly. 

“I see you three still haven't learned how to play poker,” Gladio laughed. He dropped his cards – the winning hand, as usual – onto the coffee table between them, and leaned back with his beer amidst the groans. “Too bad. I guess that still makes me the reigning champ.”

“And I see your  _ ego  _ hasn't deflated any,” Ignis countered with an easy smile.

Beside him, Noct huffed in agreement. “Isn't it treason to beat your king at cards on his birthday? I feel like that should be a new law. Iggy, remind me to add that to the list when we get back.”

“Of course, Highness.”

“ _ That's  _ abuse of power,” Gladio quipped. “Right? Back me up, Prompto.”

“Don't look at me, dude. I didn't vote for him.”

That had them laughing again, as easily as ever. Gladio scooped up the cards, and handed them to Ignis to shuffle. Noct (having lost the round) grumbled all the way over to the cooler to grab a fresh beer for the reigning champ. 

Prompto, meanwhile, had just settled back in his own seat, steeling his poker face for the next round, when a sudden buzzing in his pocket caught his attention. Quietly, not wanting to interrupt the fun, he reached for his phone to see a message blinking across the screen.  _ 'Reminder - 16:00, take meds.’  _

Oh. Was it really already so late in the day? With so much going on, he must have completely missed the first alarm. He hadn’t even been thinking about….

“Hey, Prom. You still with us?” Gladio’s voice was low, quiet and just for the two of them as he leaned across the arm of the sofa. The sudden attention sent freckled cheeks glowing with heat.

“Huh? Y-yeah, totally. I just…,” he started, awkwardly, and offered an apologetic smile. “Gotta take a leak. Be right back.” 

Maybe it was suspicious the way he snatched up his camera bag on the way to the bathroom, maybe it wasn't. He could only hope the others were too caught up in their game to notice. This wasn't a conversation he was ready to have with them, after all.  _ Hadn't been _ for the last few years, which is why he'd started hiding his meds in his bag in the first place, tucked discreetly into a small pocket so he never went anywhere without them. 

Now, in front of the dusty mirror above the old bathroom sink, he unscrewed the cap on one bottle and popped two white pills into his mouth, swallowing them both dry. 

Tired eyes stared back at him in the glass. Eyes, like so many other survivors, still scarred after ten years of darkness. And yet Prompto knew his were lined with more than just the weight of memories. This... _ sickness _ , he sometimes called it, had been coming for a long time. Ardyn, of all people, had been the one to tell him the truth, all those years ago back in the snowy mountains of Niflheim. Who he really was -  _ what _ he really was. His body was...different. It had been made for a single purpose, by a power-crazed scientist who’d built an army of fodder. His kind weren’t built to last.

At thirty-two, Prompto was already feeling the effects of outliving his design. 

Thankfully, he’d had Aranea. Using her connections, she’d been able to get the meds that would help prolong his inevitable deterioration. But even she couldn’t say how long those would do any good. 

An unexpected knock on the door snapped Prompto out of his dark thoughts. He quickly stuffed his pills back into his bag just as the knob turned, and turned in time to see Gladio peer in through the opening. “Prom? You good? Mind if I come in?”

Prompto couldn’t think of a reply to that, so nodding, he merely scooted aside to give Gladio space to enter. The bathroom was cramped for two of them, their shoulders brushing at the sink as Gladio shuffled in beside him, and withdrew a black pouch out of his leather jacket. Curious - and a little shocked - Prompto watched him dump a single pill into his hand and swallow it down with a palmful of water from the tap. 

“...It’s for the nightmares,” he explained after a moment, when Prompto’s stare became too obvious in the silence. “Been seeing a doc for a couple of months. It helps a bit. You?”

A thud in the center of his chest. “...M-me, what?”

Gladio watched him for a long moment. Then, with a smile, he shook his head. “It’s alright. Anyway, I was just thinking I could use some fresh air. Up for a walk?” 

Noct and Ignis were already settled comfortably across the larger sofa, Ignis with a book and Noct drifting off for a catnap in his lap. They acknowledged Gladio and Prompto as they passed, but neither bothered to get up. “We’ll be back,” was all Gladio said, and Ignis wished them well with a wave of his hand. 

The day was still hot, but a fresh breeze blew in up the coast that had Prompto glad for the sleeves of his worn Crownsguard training shirt. Gladio opted for hanging his jacket over his right arm, though (to some disappointment) it seemed he preferred to keep at least one shirt on underneath these days. 

“It’s so beautiful here,” Prompto said into the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. They were heading down the rocky path, closer to the coast and with the sea stretching out towards the horizon in front of them. Gladio set the pace - unhurried, his hair curling around his face and neck in the wind. 

“Yeah. Hard to believe it’s all still in one piece, y’know. Like nothing bad ever happened here, or anywhere. It’s like none of it was real.”

_ The darkness _ . Prompto knew without having to hear what Gladio meant. Two years had passed since the Dawn, but in some ways it felt like a lifetime. He got it, he really did. “You still see it sometimes? In your nightmares, I mean.” 

A nod. They reached the edge of the cliffs overlooking the water, and Gladio planted one boot on a rock as he leaned out over it. “The doc says it’s pretty common with those of us who spent time on the front. Out in the villages and stuff, seeing the…. Well, seeing how bad it got. Some nights I can’t close my eyes without the visions coming back. You ever have that?”

“Yeah,” Prompto admitted. “Mostly about Gralea. And...stuff like that.”

“Hm.” More silence. The soft waves lapping against the rocks below filled the void of conversation. Eventually, growing bolder, Prompto took a seat on the rock overlooking the view - and was pleasantly surprised when Gladio joined him a moment later. 

“I never told you this, Prom, but I used to envy you.  _ How can he be so damn cheery all the time? Taking pictures and singing about stupid chocobos. _ ” He chuckled, and Prompto couldn’t help but smile along. “Sorry if I was a jerk about it sometimes.”

Prompto shook his head. “I could be hella annoying back then, I get it. You don’t have to apologize.”

“No, I do.” This time when Gladio turned to him, his arm found its way around his shoulders at the same time. “I guess I thought you weren’t taking it seriously, or something. But I was so wrong. You went through all the same shit, more maybe, and still managed to want to cheer the rest of us up despite that. Out of all of us, you were always the strongest, Prom.” 

The heat rising to his face had nothing to do with the sun, and everything to do with how Gladio’s words rekindled familiar embers in his chest. “Um. I don’t think…. I mean, compared to you, I could never….” Words failed him spectacularly. In their stead, he simply gave up and sank deeper into the invitation of Gladio’s embrace. “Thanks.” 

They stayed like that for a long while, nothing else needing to be spoken in the space between them. Prompto didn’t talk about his meds or his illness, and Gladio never asked. Maybe he didn’t need to. His fingers sliding over a pale, freckled arm, the scruff of his beard resting in tufts of yellow hair - those actions said more than either ever could have with words. Shared memories, shared trauma, shared fears. And, as Prompto reached up to lay his hand over Gladio’s own, he thought maybe they shared a need for comfort, as well. 

An hour or more passed while they sat there, content in the rhythm and smell of the sea. Eventually, though, Prompto noticed the hardness of the rock beginning to dig uncomfortably into his rear. He smiled shyly, and asked Gladio if they should be heading back. 

“Nah, Noct and Iggy needed some time alone, if you know what I mean. Besides,” the larger man grinned, gesturing to the sun edging its way toward the horizon. “I know a good spot to watch the sunset, not far from here. Whaddya say to going for a ride with me?” 

Blue eyes flew open wide. “A ride? You mean, like, on your super awesome, totally badass bike?”

“That’s the one,” Gladio laughed. 

“Yes. Deal. But, uh, I left my camera back in the cabin, so….”

Large fingers curled around his, and Prompto couldn’t have been more overjoyed if he’d tried. There was something soft in Gladio’s eyes, a tenderness he’d not seen in so many years, and it caught his breath somewhere in his throat. “So let me keep you company instead.” 

That was how he found himself planted on the back of a motorcycle, arms wrapped around Gladio’s chest and face pressed to the leather of his jacket as they flew together down the highway at the speed of freedom. Laughter fell from his lips, caught on the wind that whipped past to drift behind them. The rumble of the bike left him grinning and hugging closer to the solid body in front of him while he watched the land fall away. 

_ Together with Gladio _ . That thought alone made his head spin and his heart soar. He didn’t know quite what it meant yet. But he knew that the feeling was thrilling, perfect. It filled him with hope. 

It was like everything they’d been through - everything they were  _ still  _ going through - brought them somehow closer together than ever before. Like everything and nothing had changed between them. And, as Prompto hugged closer to Gladio’s back, grinning into the wind whipping past his face, he realized he was actually, truly looking forward to his future. 

And to all the other unexpected surprises he hoped to find along the way. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me and more Promptio nonsense on Twitter at Lhugy2


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